The Startup CPG Podcast

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Marion Nestle, Professor Emerita of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at NYU, to unpack decades of cereal industry marketing history and what it reveals about food policy today.

Marion is one of the most influential voices in food politics, having helped pioneer food studies as an academic discipline and served as Senior Nutrition Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she helped oversee the landmark 1988 Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health. She's the author of numerous bestselling books, including Food Politics, What to Eat, Soda Politics, and Unsavory Truth. Her newest book, Sugar Coated: Unboxing the Hidden Forces Shaping America's Favorite Breakfast Food, uses her decades-long personal collection of cereal boxes as a lens into the history of food marketing, health claims, and consumer behavior.

Daniel and Marion dig into how cereal went from a health food invented by Kellogg to one of the most heavily marketed, sugar-laden products on shelves, how companies use shelf space, packaging changes, and influencer marketing to reach consumers (including kids), and what today's CPG founders can learn from a century of food industry marketing tactics.

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.